Scott Musgrove “Wilder”
Jonathan LeVine Gallery
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Jonathan LeVine Gallery presents Wilder, an exhibition of new paintings, drawings and sculptures by Seattle-based artist Scott Musgrove in what will be his third solo exhibition at the gallery.
“The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings, they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of earth.” —Henry Beston, American writer and naturalist (1888–1968)
Musgrove’s multidisciplinary works focus on themes of exploration, discovery and conservation of the natural world through his depiction of extinct animals that may (or may not) have ever existed. In his distinct style of figurative surrealism; he paints his creatures in pristine environments, as they might have looked before the arrival of humans and rise of endangered wildlife concerns.
The artist’s work is painted and sculpted with an imaginative attention to the anatomical details of his subjects. Through a combination of both real and imagined biological attributes, Musgrove illustrates his creative take on evolution by presenting alternative theories to natural selection. In some instances the animals are posed as if in a diorama, making the works appear like portraits and keeping with Man’s desire to tame and control nature.
Although Musgrove’s artistic approach often has an element of humor due to the whimsical characteristics of his creatures, it doesn’t diminish the sincerity or urgency of the issue. The current rate of the extinction of species is accelerating and it is the artist’s intention to spread that message through his work. He explains, “Unfortunately, it’s too late for these once proud creatures. They are gone and we shall never see the likes of them again. Let us take care with what we have left and make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Scott Musgrove was born in 1966 and is currently based in Seattle, Washington. He received a BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. Musgrove works with wood, bronze, oil paint, watercolors, ink and pencil. The artist’s paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries across the country, such as New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco. He has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, and created the animated series Fat Dog Mendoza, which aired on Cartoon Network UK until 2005.
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Schedule
from May 16, 2015 to June 13, 2015
Opening Reception on 2015-05-16 from 18:00 to 20:00